Tomato Tapenade and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

By danaheller

Ingredients

• 1 18-in French or Italian-style baguette, about 2 inches in diameter
• 1 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 2 tbs finely diced red onion
• 2 tbs chopped fresh basil
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 oz soft goat cheese

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

1. Slice the baguette into thin rounds (no more than /2 inch thick), discarding the end pieces. Spread the slices out on a work surface and allow them to dry for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Drain the tomatoes well in a colander and spread in a single layer on the sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with about 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs balsamic vinegar. Bake the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they look dry and lightly browned but not burned, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

3. Combine the cooled tomatoes with the garlic, olives, onion and basil. Stir in up to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to taste. Season with pepper, Refrigerate the tapenade until ready to serve, up to 2 days.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pastry brush, brush one side of the bread slices with the reamining 2 tbs olive oil. Bake about 10 minutes, until just lightly browned on the egdes and crispy. Cool and store in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 1 day ahead of time.

4. To assemble, spread a thin layer of goat cheese on each bread slice. Top each with about 1/4 tbs tapenade.